Bittersweet
by KeepCalmAndLove
Summary: Posie Picket and Willy Wonka were childhood friends who left each other on a bad note. What happens when twenty years later a little boy and a Golden Ticket brings them back together?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

William Wonka was a miserable little boy. Attached to his face was a cage of wires and braces; all there in an attempt to straighten his teeth. But this was not why he was miserable. He knew the braces were for his own good.

His father was why he was miserable. Dr. Wilbur Wonka, D.D.S. was a strict, single parent who forbade his only son from ever consuming anything sweet or sugary. For the first 11 years of his life, William had never even tasted a piece of chocolate.

It was Halloween time, which meant children were out trick-or-treating for candy and other sweets. A particular group of children went up to a particularly heavier woman's door step and rang the bell.

Mrs. Peachfield, a cheery woman, answered the door with a smile. "Ah! And who have we got here? Bridget, Veronica...Terrence." She listed off the names of the children, except for one. Mrs. Peachfield furrowed her brow in confusion. "And who's that under the sheet?"

William responded by lifting it up to let her see his face. Or at least the parts of it that weren't obscured by his head gear. "Oh!" She crooned. "Little Willy Wonka."

...

"Let's see what the damage is this year, shall we?" Dr. Wilbur Wonka asked his son, pouring out the contents of his candy bucket out into a bowl. One by one, the elder Wonka went through the bowl, pulling out random candies, only to criticize them and throw them back into the bowl.

"Caramels, they'd get stuck in your braces. Lollipops. What we call cavities on a stick. And then we have all of this...all of this...chocolate." The last part was said with great disgust. "You know, just last week, I read in a very important medical journal that some children are allergic to chocolate. Makes their noses itch."

Willy, who had been waiting patiently and silently during his father's condemnation of his sweets, spoke up. "Maybe I'm not allergic. Maybe I could try a piece." At this, his father smiled. "But why take the chance?"

And with that, he picked up the candy bowl and tossed its contents into the roaring fire behind them. Willy inwardly sighed. He had known it was a long shot, but still, he had hoped that maybe this year his father would change his mind.

...

November 1, a very busy day for Dr. Wonka. Due to the previous night's large consumption of sugary items, parents usually escorted their children to his office just for a check up. This usually left Willy with all the chores.

At this moment he was cleaning the fire place. As he emptied the cinders into a bucket, he noticed something round and shiny amongst the ashes. Curious as to what it was, Willy picked up the mysterious object. Upon further examination, he found it to be a piece of chocolate that had survived last night's fire.

'_This could be my chance.'_ He thought. _'But what if I'm allergic? What if father finds out?' _Cautiously, he looked over his shoulder._ 'Well...what he doesn't know won't hurt him.'_ Looking over his shoulder one last time as to ensure his privacy from the elder Wonka, Willy unwrapped the chocolate and placed it into his mouth.

Willy couldn't believe it! It was so sweet, so creamy, it was incredible, even if there was a hint of soot in the taste. And from that point on, Willy Wonka became obsessed with candy.

...

For the past few weeks, Willy had been making several excursions to Picket's Candy Shop. He visited twice a day, once before and once after school. In the short time he had been making his visits, he had almost completely bought out the store. And each time he kept around a note pad to document what the candy tasted like to look at for future reference for his own candy ideas.

On this one morning in particular, he was hurrying on his way, faster than usual because the shop was receiving a shipment of the new Slugworth candy. It was a gumball that changed flavors halfway through its life in your mouth.

Willy was eager to try it. So eager that he wasn't looking where he was going. Before he knew it, he had barreled into a girl his age who was carrying several large boxes, now scattered around her on the pavement. Willy looked at the girl and found a blush creeping onto his cheeks.

The girl had an air of familiarity about her. He just couldn't place where she had seen her. She was shorter than him by an inch, had very pale skin as white as white chocolate, rosy cheeks and lips that reminded him of bubblegum, hair the color of milk chocolate that fell in curls past her shoulders, and bright blue eyes. Blue eyes that were currently glaring at him.

"Just what did you think you were doing?" She asked, anger lacing her very pretty voice, standing up. "Um...well...y-you s-see...I was g-going t-to the candy s-store to b-buy the new S-slugworth c-candy." Willy stuttered his explanation to the girl as he got up so she wouldn't have to look down at him.

"Well you just saved yourself the trip." The girl replied, seemingly calmer, but still irritated. "What do you mean by that?"

"I was taking today's shipment of Slugworth's Fantastic Flavor Changing Gumballs to the shop. Then you ran into me." Willy looked down at his shoes at that last comment. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I just hope that they're still okay." The girl sighed in exasperation and began to pick the boxes back up. "Here!" Willy shouted, proceeding to pick up the boxes as well. "Let me help you."

"You don't have to do that. I can carry it by myself."

"No, I insist. Besides, it's the right thing to do considering they be damaged because of me."

The girl was touched by his kindness and politeness. Most of the other boys in the neighborhood would have knocked her down and kept going. But not this boy. This lead to her wondering who exactly he was.

As they walked along to the candy shop, she studied his features. Somehow, he seemed familiar. He had dark auburn hair, pale skin, and a full set of head gear. But this was not the most eye catching thing about him in her opinion. No, to her, it was his eyes that interested her. They were a peculiar shade of violet, which she knew wasn't a normal eye color.

Finally, the both of them yielded to their curiosity about one another. "What's your name?" They both asked at the same time. "Uh...you first." Willy said shyly.

"Posie. Posie Picket. My father owns the candy shop on Cherry St." Posie all of a sudden remembered where she had seen him before.

"I'm William Wonka. My father is the dentist, Dr. Wilbur Wonka." Willy remembered where he had met Posie as well.

"You're that boy who's been buying out my father's shop!"

"You're the girl with the lopsided jaw and a gap between her teeth!"

"Shh!" They both hissed at each other after their very loud exclamations. "Keep quiet, I don't want people to know I was a metal mouth." Posie hissed to Willy. "And I don't want my father finding about my candy obsession." He hissed back.

"Well then keep your trap shut and let's keep walking." Continuing on their journey, the silence hung in the air, creating great tension between them. "So..." Willy finally said, breaking the quiet. "Your father owns the candy shop. That must be fun."

Posie nodded. "Yeah..it is."

"So are you going to take over it when you're older?" At this Posie's face fell. "That's the thing...I don't know. I know it's the safe route compared to my real dream...but, I've always wanted my life to extraordinary."

"What's your dream?" Willy asked. "Oh! Well...um...you'll think it's silly." Posie said, blushing from embarrassment.

"No I won't." Willy insisted. "I want to perform on West End." She blurted. Willy blinked, then smiled. "That's an amazing dream." He told her.

"You really think so?" She asked, blushing even more than she already was. "Yeah! What made you interested in it?"

"Well, I've always had an aptitude for acting and singing, but what really made me want to be a performer was when I saw "Funny Girl". "Don't Rain On My Parade" is one of my favorite songs. Ever since then, I've been working hard to get to where I want to be."

"Do your parents approve of your career choice?" Willy asked, nervous for the girl, hoping that her parents didn't hate the one thing she loved. "Actually, when I told my parents, they were quite proud of my ambition. Sure, they were slightly disappointed that I didn't want to work in the shop, but they knew it was never really my thing. How about you? What's your dream?"

Willy was the one to blush now. "Well...you see...I sort of...hugh...Iwanttobeachocolatier."He mumbled the last part, embarrassed at how un-extraordinary his dream seemed compared to hers. "What was that?" Posie asked, leaning in closer to hear him. "I want to be a chocolatier."

Willy kept expecting for him to laugh in his face. How ridiculous it was for a dentist's son to want to be a chocolatier. But instead of laughter, he heard her say, "Well that explains a lot. No wonder you've been buying so much candy. But, I think it somehow suits you."

Willy looked at her with wonder in his eyes. "You really think so?" Posie's eyes sparkled with happiness and encouragement. "Of course! I've seen how you take such dedication with how you try your candy and take notes. I've also seen some of your ideas. They are truly incredible and innovative. I think you'll be an amazing chocolatier one day." Willy beamed with pride through his head gear.

But his joy was short lived as he thought of something...or someone. "But my father disapproves of chocolatiers. What if he doesn't accept me? What then? Will I be doomed to a life of dentistry?"

Posie smiled at the boys rant. "Don't worry. It seems scary telling your parents at first, but it gets better by the end. And remember that your father loves you, so he'll accept you for whomever you want to be."

Willy smiled back at her. "Thank you, Posie. I think I'll tell him." By the end of their little conversation, they had reached the candy shop. "Well, Willy, I believe this is where we part. Thank you for helping me with the boxes."

"No problem." He replied, handing her the boxes. "I would like to see you again, Posie." Posie set down the boxes on the pavement and smiled at Willy, blushing slightly.

"I would like that too, Willy. I think we're going to be good friends. It's been a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Wonka." She took his hand and curtsied before shaking it. "The pleasure was all mine, Miss Picket." Willy said with a bow, kissing Posie's hand before he shook it.

"Um...here." Posie opened a package of Slugworth's Gumballs and handed one to Willy. "What's this for?" He asked, confused. "It's for helping me...and an encouragement to remain friends with me."

Willy took the gumball. "Thank you, Posie. I'll see you around then?"

"Of course." She replied with a wide grin. Willy waved goodbye and walked off, popping the gumball into his mouth before realizing that the gum was sticking in his braces.

Before Posie could even open the door to the shop, she heard a loud but muffled, "Help! Posie! Help!"

_ 'Oh dear! Gum gets stuck in braces! Willy!'_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Willy entered his home, placing his back pack on the coatrack in the hall. He had just come home from an afternoon at Posie's. One wall in her bedroom was completely covered in playbills, opera programs and posters for musicals. He was amazed at her passion for her dream.

They had spent the afternoon discussing homework, Posie's little sister Nellie, who was 9 (and kept repeatedly asking if the two were dating despite them both being 11) and trying out Willy's ideas for new candies.

At this time, Willy had commented on how he wished that he could share his ideas with his father. But he knew that the elder Wonka wouldn't understand. Posie had replied telling him that she would always be there for him. By this time, it was time for Willy to go home for supper. He had bid the Pickets goodbye and headed home.

Now Willy was home at the dinner table, eating in silence with his father. Dr. Wonka had been in between appointments, therefore it was expected that he would eat quickly as to prepare for his next patient. But tonight he was slow.

Both Wonka's could feel the tension in the air mounting until Dr. Wonka finally said something. "William."

Willy looked up from his plate, feeling a little nervous at his father's reference to him using his full name. "Yes Father?"

"I went up into your room today to do my weekly check." At this Willy tensed. Willy had bought a box of chocolate caramels yesterday. He usually kept his stash safe in his room, only to dispose of the evidence before the weekly inspection. Today though, he had forgotten to since he was going to Posie's.

"Yes."

"Well...I found something rather interesting." Dr. Wonka proceeded to pull the empty box of candy out from underneath the table. He then placed it accusingly in front of Willy; a look of great disappointment on his face and a greatly guilty look on his son's face. "What is a box of candy doing up in your room, William?"

Willy swallowed the bile coming up in the back of his throat. He wanted to tell his father about how he wanted to be a chocolatier. But the look that his father was giving him just over EATING candy. Willy didn't want to see what would happen if he learned that Willy wanted to MAKE candy.

"I want an answer, William. Why is there a box of candy in your room? Were you holding it for a friend, perhaps? But then that would make you a very bad friend since it seems that you have eaten it all." Dr. Wonka was sounding very angry now.

Willy looked down at his plate. "Does it have anything to do with that girl? Hm? If she's pressuring you to eat candy, I'm afraid that you cannot be friends with her anymore." Willy looked up, shocked that his father would threaten to take away one of the few friends he had had in years.

"It's not her fault." Willy finally spoke up. "Then who's fault is it?"

"Mine." He said softly. "But I can explain-"

"I have a patient Willy, we'll talk about your punishment afterwards." Dr. Wonka stood up and walked out of the kitchen. Willy suddenly grew mad at his father for blowing him off yet once again. He stormed after his father.

"No!" Willy shouted at his father, who turned around at the outburst. "William! Go to your room!"

"No! Not until you hear what I have to say!" His father's nostrils flared in annoyance. "Go on."

"I want to be a chocolatier." The blood that had previously drained from Dr. Wonka's face came surging back, turning it a bright shade of red. "What?!"

"I. Want. To be. A. Chocolatier." Willy snapped back, making sure each word had bite. "This is that Posie girl's fault. Isn't it?! That's it. William, you are forbidden to talk to her and you are forbidden from going over there. You are going to be a dentist. That's final."

Willy fumed. Once again, his father was controlling his life. "No! Posie doesn't want to do anything with candy! I wanted to be a chocolatier before I met her!"

"Then maybe you should follow her lead! Candy is a waste of time! No son of mine is going to be a chocolatier!" Dr. Wonka said as a matter-o-factly. "Then I'll run away. To Switzerland! Bulgaria! The candy capitols of the world!"

Dr. Wonka's lips pressed themselves into a thin line. "Go ahead. But I won't be here when you come back!" Willy glared at his father as he took his back pack off the coat hanger and marched out of the house. He slammed the door and his father wrung the latex gloves in his hands out of frustration.

Willy walked briskly to the nearest train station, his stride becoming more confident as he went. He gazed around at the Flags of the World exhibit at the station, imagining all the possibilities now that he was out of his father's control. Unfortunately, he was zapped out of his day dream by a hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry sir." A night guard told him. "We're closing for the night."

And so, Willy trekked back home. He figured that he would stay at his house, just one night, then head back to the station in the morning. But that wasn't to be. For when Willy finally made it back, he was greeted by a gaping hole in the apartment complex where his house used to be.

...

The Picket's dinner was disturbed by a loud banging at their front door. "Posie, could you answer that dear?" Josephine asked her daughter.

"Yes, mum." Posie scooted her chair out from underneath the table, stood up, pushed her chair in and walked to the front door. "Hello?" She asked as she swung the door open and being greeted by a familiar headset.

"Willy? What are you doing here?" Willy had a smile on his face, but then again, it was always there do to his braces pulling his lips apart. "I ran away." He said very nonchalantly.

Willy sniffed the air, taking a huge whiff of the roast beef, tomato soup, and blueberry pie that was dinner. "Mmm! Smells delicious! Can I come in?" Posie stood at the door in shock, trying to comprehend what Willy had just said while he squeezed past her and headed towards the kitchen.

Zapping out of her daze, Posie hurried after William, who was currently in the kitchen. Sitting at the table, helping himself to the roast beef. "Posie." Her mother said, an uncomfortable look on her face. "What is William doing here?"

"I ran away." Willy answered for Posie. Mrs. Picket looked at Willy, then at Posie, back to Willy, then back to Posie again. "I ran away." Answered Willy for her in between bites of baked potato.

"You ran away? Why?" Mr. Picket

asked. "I told my father I wanted to be a chocolatier. He said no. I said, 'Fine. I'm running away then.' He said, 'Go ahead! But I won't be there when you come back.' I leave for the train station. There closed. I come back, he's gone."

"Gone?" Posie asked, trying to take in the entirety of the story. Willy nodded his head vigorously. "Yup. Took the entire building with him."

At this comment, Mrs. Picket set her fork down and gave Willy an incredulous look. "Don't be ridiculous William. Your father may have left, but I doubt he would be able to take the entire building with him. How would he do it anyway?"

"I don't know. All I know is that there is a gaping hole on our block where the house used to be."

Posie frowned. It was highly impossible, but Willy never lied. Especially about something as big as this. "Mum, Dad. Can I talk to you for a moment?"

The two Pickets nodded their heads and went with their daughter into the living. "I think Willy is telling the truth."

"I know sweetheart. But I don't think that Dr. Wonka would throw out his own son and leave unexpectedly." Mrs. Picket replied, a doubtful look on her face.

"Well, even if he didn't, it's clear that young William doesn't have any where to stay, Josephine." Her husband told her. "Can he stay here, Mum? Please? Just for one night?" Posie pleaded.

Mrs. Picket frowned. "I don't know Posie, his father could end up being very angry at us."

"Please?! Just one night, then we'll return him in the morning." Posie continued to beg. "Come on, Josephine. It's only one night. And Willy has always been a courteous guest. I'm sure he won't cause any trouble." Mr. Picket said, trying as equally hard as his daughter to convince his wife.

"Fine. He can stay one night." Posie let out a little, 'yes', which caused Mrs. Picket to add on, "Just one night. Understand. Then he goes back to his father's."

Posie grinned and hugged her mother. "Thank you!" She then bounded into the kitchen to tell Willy the news.

...

True to her word, the next morning, the older Pickets escorted Willy to his father's house. Only, to their surprise, they were greeted with a large alleyway.

"I don't understand." Mrs. Picket said. "The building was here just yesterday."

"Maybe we got the address wrong?" Mr. Picket offered, only to have Mrs. Picket frown and shake her head. "No. I would know if the address was wrong since I've taken Posie here since she was four."

"I told you already. He left and took the building with him. He's never coming back." Willy reminded them for the umpteenth time.

The Pickets were at a loss for better solutions than what they were thinking. They couldn't just leave Willy there by himself. But they also didn't know where his father went. So, the only option was...

"I guess you'll just have to stay with us until we find your father, Willy." Mr. Picket told the boy. Willy's permanent smile widened.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

The Pickets thought that they would only hosting Willy for a few days. Then the days turned into weeks. Then into months, and eventually 7 years had passed since his father had left Willy.

Willy, who had gotten his braces off, had taken to working at the candy shop, learning the basic tricks of the trade from Mr. Picket, experimenting with his own creations when he got the chance.

Willy was working in the shop one day on his newest creation when Posie came in. Posie had blossomed into a versatile actress and singer, securing most of the lead roles in their school plays. She had also become strikingly beautiful, attracting the attention of many young males. Willy being one of them

Willy quickly hid his invention when Posie walked in, earning a suspicious look from her. They were cherry pits that grew into real chocolate coated cherries without pits. But so far, whenever he planted them in soil, they would just grow as cherries with a bitter chocolate taste and a ginormous pit. He still needed to work out the kinks.

"Good morning Starshine! The earth says hello!" Willy said, pink slightly tinting his cheeks. Posie laughed, which sounded like music to Willy's ears., and rolled her eyes. "I'm not a star yet, Willy. And you know that nickname isn't my favorite."

"I know. I just do it because I can." He said as he stuck his tongue out at her. This prompted her to raise an eyebrow. "Really? Then I guess that means I get to sing the song."

Willy's eyes widened to the size of saucers. "Oh no, Posie! Anything but that-"

_"Willy Wonka, Willy Wonka_

_The amazing chocolateer_

_Willy Wonka, Willy Wonka_

_Everybody give a cheer!"_ Posie sang in an annoyingly high pitched voice. Willy just shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose as she kept singing.

_"He's modest, clever, and so smart,_

_He barely can restrain it." _

"Thank you for noticing." Willy chimed in with a smug smile.

_"With so much generosity, _

_There is no way to contain it_

_To contain it_

_To contain, to contain, to contain!"_

"I do contain it around you! Otherwise you eat all my creations!" Posie rolled her eyes and kept singing.

_"Willy Wonka, Willy Wonka_

_He's the one that you're about to meet." _

"Who am I meeting?!"

_"Willy Wonka, Willy Wonka_

_He's a genius who just can't be beat."_

"Well, I am a genius."

_"The magician and the chocolate wiz_

_The best darn guy who ever lived."_

"Aww, you're so sweet."

_"Willy Wonka here he is!"_ Posie finished with a smile. Willy rolled his eyes and went back to work. "It'll be much better when there's no one adding their own twist on it." She said with a smirk.

"Mhmm. So you keep telling me. So, what brings you in today, Posie? Other than that horrendous song." Willy asked, still looking messing with his ears as if the song was still ringing in them.

"I wanted to tell you about that new musical." Posie said, a coy look overcoming her features. "Mhmm."

"You know, the one by Andrew Lloyd Webber."

"Yeah."

"The one that's based off of one of my most favorite novels." She kept dropping hints, hoping Willy would reply with the answer she wanted.

"Uh huh."

"The one that's opening tonight." Posie pressed. "The one that I really wanted to see."

"The one that I already have tickets for." Willy said with a smirk, prompting Posie to squeal in excitement and tackle him into a hug. "Oh Willy! Thank you so much! We're going to have a boat load of fun tonight!"

She pulled away when something from underneath one of the glass cases caught her eye. "Ooh! Chocolate coated cherries! My favorite!"

...

The two walked out of the theater, Posie riddled with goosebumps from the experience, Willy smiling to himself at his little victory. "That was amazing." Posie sighed dreamily, obviously still swooning over the Phantom.

"I always thought that I wouldn't like it. That it would be too far from the book. Sure, there are a few discrepancies, but overall, just...wow."

"Glad you liked it." Willy said with a smile, squeezing her arm. "I loved it! Gosh! Now I want to play Christine once we graduate!"

"And you will, just like how I'm going to be an amazing chocolatier." Posie smiled at him and squeezed his arm back. "You will be."

...

One week later, a week after school got out, Willy was working in the shop when a rather peculiar fellow came in. He was tall, willowy thin. His head was shiny due to the lack of hair on his head. Beady eyes looked down a hooked nose, and his mouth seemed to be permanently set in a frown.

Something about the man's presence seemed to send a chill down Willy's spine. Yet another feeling was flapping like butterfly wings in his stomach.

"Hello sir. Is there anything I can help you with today?" Willy asked, trying to cut the obvious tension. "Not unless you have anything that's never been seen before." The man said, continuing to poke around the store, his face showing a look of utter displeasure and pure boredom.

"We have the new shipment of Slugworth's Stretchy Licorice Sticks."

"No, no, no! I want something that doesn't have a brand name, something that can't be found in any store! Something fresh! Something new!" The man roared, annoyed by what seemed to be a lack of creativity in the store.

"We have Joe's Batter Balls." Willy tried to prompt the man into buying something as his presence was making him extremely uncomfortable. The man sighed. "No. I want something that could still be in the testing area! Something that was just newly spawned."

Willy got a twinkle in his eye as he thought of the perfect thing. "One moment, sir." He said to the customer before dashing to the back. In the back of the shop was a corner sectioned off especially for Willy's creations. Picking one pot off of the shelf, he walked briskly back to the customer; who was currently pacing the length of the store.

"This is something new we've been working on. Granted, it's still in the trial and error phase, but I think it's what you're looking for."

He set the pot down for the man to inspect it. The man's nose turned up in revulsion. "This is grass."

"No, it's not. It just looks like that. You see, this is swuldge. Just try it."

"But it's covered in dirt."

"Not dirt, actually. A mixture of dark and light cocoa powder. And a few sprinkles in there too." The customer looked at Willy as if he had grown two heads. "Go on. Just try it."

Reluctantly, the man reached his hand down to the pot, plucked a blade, and proceeded to put the blade in his mouth, eyeing it suspiciously the entire time. But the moment the blade hit his tongue, a smile bloomed across the man's usually sour features.

"This is fantastic! Minty, fresh, innovative, and I can definitely taste the cocoa powder! Marvelous! Do have anything else like this?"

Willy nodded excitedly before hurrying to the back and pulling out most of his inventions. One by one, he showed them to the new connoisseur of Wonka products.

"Exploding candy to give to your enemies. Ranges from a mild pop to a strong blast that can knock your front teeth out."

"I'll take your word for it." The man said, subconsciously running his tongue over his front teeth, as if to make sure they were still there. Willy giggled nervously. "Oh yeah. Right. Well, this might be better, gummy ropes with a jelly filling of another flavor."

And on and on they went with Willy offering his products and the customer trying them, his face lighting up even more with each taste. Until the customer asked for something that Willy paled a little at.

"Do you have any chocolate?" Willy loved chocolate and loved making it, but because of his...past experiences with parental influences...he was terrified of letting someone taste one of his bars. But, he wanted to please the customer, so he went to the back and got one bar.

"This is the Whipple-Scrumptious Fudgemallow Delight." He hesitantly handed it to the customer, looking at his new admirer as if he had grown a second head. The man took the tinfoil off, broke off one chunk and plopped it into his mouth.

Willy was quite surprised at the customer's reaction to say the least. Instead of his usual praise of the confection, he was silent. But from the corner of his eye slid one single tear and his mouth turned upright into a smile of pure joy.

"This is amazing! The best chocolate I've ever had! Who is it's creator?"

"Um...I am, sir." Willy said shyly. "Really? Did you make the others as well?"

"Yes sir." The man pulled out a wallet from his coat pocket. He opened it up and fished a stock card from it and handed it to Willy. "That, my boy, was some of the finest confections I have ever tasted. My name is Arthur Slugworth, and for the past few months I've been looking for the next big name in candy that I could train and help fund his first business transaction."

Willy was shocked to his core. He was one of his idols standing here before him."Why sir! I...I don't know what to say! Perhaps, how do I sign up for the competition?"

Mr. Slugworth frowned. "Competition? No, I don't think you quite understand. You've already got the job. Next week, meet me at the address on that card. Make sure you have everything packed up, because for the next two years you'll be learning every candy making secret in every single candy making country."

Willy looked like he was about to faint but was stopped by his urgent question. "Can I bring someone?" Slugworth frowned in thought, considering it, until he said, "Perhaps. But don't expect them to learn anything."

Slugworth turned to go, but not before asking, "By the way, what's your name? I believe I forgot to ask since I was caught up in the moment."

"William. William Wonka." Slugworth smiled at the young man. "Well, William, I hope you're not afraid of the world, because you're going to see all of it."


End file.
